Monday, March 01, 2010

The Word And The Way

There is a word coursing through my brain, a word that is pointing the way. The meaning of the word must be employed to even consider the re-directing purpose of the word itself. That word, that way is flexibility. I find myself bending over backwards to follow its call.

Have you noticed that things are changing rapidly? Some changes are welcome, some are not. Most feel unexpected, whether the opportunity hidden in the change feels like a comfort or a threat. Regardless, these changes, minute and vast, are presenting themselves weekly, daily and hourly. It can be hard to keep up. It can be hard to feel safe in the midst of it all.

Resistance to change, especially rapid change on several levels at once, is normal. We stiffen, shut down, argue, whine and defend our status quo like warriors. But normal responses are no longer helpful. They will prolong the misery we are valiantly trying to avoid. The new response we are being challenged to employ, on the spot and sometimes in rapid succession, is to remain open and flexible in the oftentimes annoying face of sudden change. We need to practice recognizing our resistance to the small changes in order to be capable of handling the big ones when they drop out of the sky.

We need to become aware when we stiffen and flare our nostrils at sudden thwarts to our plans; those plans that make us feel safe, those routines we've done over and over again. When things go awry, we need to shift our brains from instant annoyance to acceptance of adventure. We need to train our brains to relax and seek out the opportunity that lies within the sudden change of plans. So often, the opportunity to do something slightly different is to our benefit. It widens our view of life and we catch something in our periphery that begs to be acknowledged and brought into the fold. In sudden flexibility lies our betterment. We gain more confidence, we use dormant brain power, we build our trust in ourselves. And trust in ourselves is what will see us through the big changes.

Let's practice being flexible. At the drop of a hat. Let's notice when our fur rises and our carefully controlled world feels threatened. Let's do our very best to relax our body and our brain before that hat even reaches the floor. Staying relaxed is the beginning of flexibility. Quietly, yes, quietly, mull over the sudden change. Losing our power and our trust by drowning out possibilities with defensive rants is no longer an option. Listening to our own inner wisdom tell us how to respond, and not simply react, is the option we seek. Flexibility allows an empowered response to change and keeps us more safe than resistance. Flexible in mind and response, we reconcile opposition and live more comfortable lives.

4 comments:

Well said, Graciel. Our adaptability to whatever comes our way whether planned or unplanned has a lot to do with our happiness. We can choose to accept change or to buck against it, but the point is we do have the right to choose. It is up to us how we react. We can choose to be happy or unhappy about the changes too. I think it is much more beneficial if we choose to be happy as much as we can. A positive outlook can make a huge difference.

This one required more than one read. You are more than right, of course, and I remember last night, raining, chilly-almost-cold, rushing to take out the trash through the dark, noticing how tense my muscles were, how silly it was, and slowing myself down. I must practice this in my whole life, I told myself, and today I, not surprisingly (not anymore!) find this post. I am bad at this, it is something I know intellectually, but on a cellular level? Not so much. Time to talk to my heart.

To be sure, this is not easy for me either. I'm focused, now, on reducing my defensive rants as too many things keep changing in certain areas of life. I need to keep my head above water and find ways to embrace the happiness I deserve. When I asked for help from the Universe, flexibility was the suggestion. I'm working on it.